Sunday, July 8, 2007

Was James Madison a Christian or Theist?

By James J. Goswick July 8, 2007

The evidence surrounding the faith of James Madisondoes not support the theistic claim of libertarianJon Rowe, or any liberal for that matter. The key torefuting Rowe and other proponents of the theisticrationalist label they put on James Madison is theaudience Madison addresses for his claim ofChristianity's truth. If the audience are deists,unitarians, or theists, Rowe is correct, if they areChristians, he is wrong. Madison in his Memorialclaims Christianity is the religion he believes is divine:

"Whilst we assert for ourselves a freedom to embrace,to profess and to observe the Religion which webelieve to be of divine origin, we cannot deny anequal freedom to those whose minds have not yetyielded to the evidence which has convinced us."

Were the Baptists, Quakers, Menonists, and Anglicansin the legislature Christians or Unitarians?Madison is claiming the assembly is Christian, thatbelieve as he does. Rowe would need proof that theassembly of Virginia in 1785 were theists, and notice howRowe believes there were "infidel principles" but onlymentions Thomas Jefferson and no one else, "Many ofthose elite Virginia Anglican Whigs secretly held to"infidel principles". Indeed, after graduation,Madison's mentor was Jefferson, who may well havebrought Madison to unitarian infidelity." Who else ledMadison to "infidel principles"?http://positiveliberty.com/2007/05/james-madison-still-wasnt-christian.html#more-2397

If Madison was a theist, where is the evidence thatthe Virginia Assembly were not Christians? Where isthe evidence that the majority of theAssembly(Baptists)were theists? Baptists and Anglicansare Trinitarians. Rowe has presented noevidence of theists in the Virginia Assembly,on the contrary, the Memorial and Remonstrance showsJames Madison believed in orthodox Christian beliefs.Rowe's use of historians or other second hand sourcesdoesn't support his claim either, Madison's own wordsare superior to the words of an historian.

Madison's "best and purest religion" is just anhistorians opinion that is true of Thomas Jefferson'sbeliefs, the quote is harmonious with his Memorial claimthat all non Christian religions are false. Christianityis the best religion and the others are false.We have Jefferson's written words he believed thebible was corrupted, not Madison's. The bestevidence that Madison is a theist is his "My RedChildren" letter to the Indians. Madison says, "TheGreat Spirit, who is the father of us all."Madison contradicts this statement in his Memorial bycalling the other religions false:

"Compare the number of those who have as yetit with the number still remaining underthe dominion of false religions; and how smallis the former!"

If the Indians used this term for God, Rowe would have apoint, which he does:

"These lands are ours. No one has a right toremove us because we were the first owners. The GreatSpirit above has appointed the place for us, on whichto light our fires, and here we will remain."Tecumseh, Native American chief, in a message to Pres.James Madison, 1810

From this passage it seems Madison is a theist. DidMadison change his views? In the final analysis,Jon Rowe believes Madison playedboth sides to win their support, but this view doesn'tseem logical and destroys any of Madison'scredibility. How could the so called Father of theConstitution call other religions false, simultaneouslynot believing what he said, lieing about his faith,and the faith of his parents just to defeat a bill?What does that say about his character?

Mr. Rowe forgot one important detail, Madison said hebelieved Christianity was divine, not the Virginia Assembliesreligion was true. Rowe then believes Madison lied to theAssembly in Virginia just to make a point. Don't buywhat he's selling folks, common sense knows better.

Another death blow to Rowe and his theist dogma forMadison and the other framers is the rationalists denialof miracles, which Madison rejected as his Memorial claims:

"To say that it is, is a contradiction to theChristian Religion itself, for every page of itdisavows a dependence on the powers of this world: itis a contradiction to fact; for it is known that thisReligion both existed and flourished, not only withoutthe support of human laws, but in spite of everyopposition from them, and not only during the periodof miraculous aid, but long after it had been left toits own evidence and the ordinary care of Providence."

This miraculous aid is the aid God provided to the earlychurch, as recorded in the Book of Acts. Paul and Peter raisingpeople from the dead, Peter and John healing a lame man,Peter striking dead Ananias and Sapphira with his words,sudden earthquakes, and many other supernatural events likeprison locks automatically opening to free the Apostle Paul.

Is it likely that James Madison changed his viewsfrom those of 1772-1785 to different views in 1812, back toChristian beliefs in 1833's letter to a Christian Rev. JasperAdams? From his letter to the Indians, Madisonviolated the first commandment of God, of which he knewall about, having gone to seminary, then changedhis beliefs later in life. The first commandment of God isin the bible countless times where the Prophets claim there is noother God but Yahweh. What should be noted is James Madison believed theChristian system divine while hehelped formed the nation.Madison's theist quote was in 1812, if it isn't a contradiction.

It is clear Madison changed his later beliefs from hisearlier actions, but labeling Madison a theist becauseof his contradictions and use of philosophical termsrather than biblical ones isn't sufficient justification.

35 comments:

Glad to see you have a blog which is where you SHOULD be making your arguments.

I wonder if you've read Dr. Gary North's meticulously researched Ebook like I suggested. Here is what he has to say on Madison:

"James Madison was a covenant-breaking genius, and the heart and soul of his genius was his commitment to religious neutralism. He devised a Constitution that for two centuries has fooled even the most perceptive Christian social philosophers of each generation into thinking that Madison was not what he was: a unitarian theocrat whose goal was to snuff out the civil influence of the trinitarian churches whenever they did not support his brainchild. For two centuries, his demonic plan has worked." pp. 374-75.

That is a very interesting statement by Mr. North, and I tend to agree with most of what he says. I doubt it was Madison's Constitution, as well as he may not have been the happiest person knowing the final product wasn't what he envisioned.

It's safe to say Madison was pro, anti, and neutral on religion, so what do we say? Madison signs a bill to aid a bible society the same year he writes to his Red Children, then reverses his views in the "Detached Memoranda."

I think I would tell Mr. North the religious neutrality of the Constitution is due to religion must be left to the states. It seems pretty simple to me. I do agree with him that Madison was not very religious, and very secretive about his faith, but many Xtians, including George Mason supported Madison for his defeat of the Virginia assessment bill. Madison could be right on this, but he acted contrary to what he said. I disagree with Madison, agreeing with the framers, Justice Story, and Montesquieu that because man is a sinner, not supporting Xtianity will doom it, as it is currently. As long as a church isn't established, let the majority rule. General Xtianity makes good citizens and should be worthy of the governments support.

James Madison penned the words,(I hope that nationilizm overthrows christianity.) In the book first amendment notations to the constitution, by james madison and Thomas Jefferson.He also went on to explain what the state of nature was and who the God of the declerration independece is. The man hated the religous institutions of his time. And Christ is the king of the kingdom of GOD. A KINGDOM THAT WILL CRUSH ALL KINGDOMS. DANIEL 2.44 Satan controls the world. 1 john 5.19, why would anyone believe that this government has anything to do with being christian.

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